Boy Scouts on the Kitsap Peninsula» » stacking badges

practical ways to stack badges

admin — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:56:35 +0000

This is the third part of a series. Begin here.

Are you excited about the possibilities of earning more than one merit badge at once? Good! Excited, but you don’t know how to begin? Here are some practical ways to incorporate more than one merit badge into a project. Remember to meet with and discuss your plans with your merit badge counselor FIRST. He (or she) must approve them, and it is at his/her discretion.

Stacking badges doesn’t have to mean double-dipping, using the same action to fulfill two requirements. It can also mean incorporating like-badges into a single project.

Example Project #1: Michael decides to work on his garden over the summer. It’s his major summer project and he has a lot of time to devote to it. Gardening is a natural choice for a merit badge, but there must be others. He knows that he will have to plan his garden first. After reading through the different badges at MeritBadge.com, he sees that planning and maintaining a garden is the bulk of the Plant Science badge. As he does requirement 5 (pests), he’s very interested in the insects that surround (and sometimes bite!) him. So he incorporates the Insect Study badge, observing them as he goes about his garden. After reading and researching, he decides that his big project for requirement #6 will be to build a worm bin. Because he’s diligent about what he feeds them, his worms produce great compost – more than his garden requires. A neighbor suggests selling it. Great idea! Now Michael needs to draw up a business plan (Entrepreneurship) and sales plan (Salesmanship), and produce some flyers to advertise it (Graphic Arts).

One long summer later, Michael has money in his pocket, food on his table, invaluable experience, and the following completed badges: Gardening, Plant Science, Insect Study, Entrepreneurship, Salesmanship, and Graphic Arts.

Example #2: Elijah’s troop sets up a day to visit the Mudd Bay archaeological dig (contact information on the Archaeology page). Before they go, he works on the other requirements for the badge. One of the options for requirement 10 is finding out about an Indian tribe in the area. Since the dig is at a Squaxin Island Indian site, it’s a natural fit to visit their museum and learn all about them. He brings along his Indian Lore worksheet, and delves a little deeper to fulfill many of those requirements.

Example #3: Conrad is studying about soil in school. His teacher agrees to fill out the paperwork and become a merit badge counselor for Soil & Water. This is a very involved badge, and he knows that he’s going to have to put in work beyond what is required for class. He discusses his plan with her, and negotiates extra credit for the class. For requirement 7a6, he takes a tour of the local waste water plant. Not only is it a very cool tour, but it fulfills requirement 5 of the Public Health badge. Since he’s taking Health the same semester, he’s already done most of the requirements for that badge. He talks to a Public Health merit badge counselor who agrees to accept the visit and discusses the other work he has done toward that badge. After discussing, they find that he only needs a visit to the county public health office to finish the badge. Depending upon Conrad’s choices, the work he’s doing for Soil & Water could also count for Forestry and Environmental Science.

It’s all about preparation. Spend some time on MeritBadge.com getting to know the requirements of each badge. When you’re ready to work on one, check others that you think may go along with it. Contact your merit badge counselors first, to get approval and make certain your plan is acceptable.

stacking badges elective

admin — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:51:34 +0000

Click here for the first part of this article: Stacking Badges – Eagle-Required

American Business – Requirement 4a is nearly identical to American Labor Req. 2c. The Entrepreneurship badge is all about getting to requirement 5. Check with your counselor first to be sure that he’ll let you use the same business.

American Heritage requires reading the Declaration of Independence (good!). Discuss it to fulfill AH req 1 and Cit Nation 4a at the same time. Req 4a fits in nicely with another Citizenship in the Nation requirement, 2a. 5a – choose a movie about the history of American Labor and fulfill AL 5c at the same time.

American Cultures – If you choose American Indians as one of your three, you can do the Indian Lore badge simultaneously.

Animal Science – Choose the Horse Option, and do the Horsemanship badge at the same time.

Archaeology 10a directly corresponds to Indian Lore.

Crime Prevention – If you choose option 7c, visiting a detention facility, you should be able to easily arrange a long enough session to earn your Fingerprinting badge at the same time.

Drafting and Architecture naturally go together. Both require a visit – Architecture to an architect’s office, and Drafting to a place where drafting is used (6a). One visit, ask questions for both. Use your bedroom for the 2a requirement and fulfill Req 5 of Architecture.

Home Repairs – This is a great one to do at the same time as Family Life Req 4, a project around the house that benefits your family. Req 5 is all about Plumbing, so do that badge at the same time.

Journalism – Requirement 4 has options. 4c, telling a story in pictures, is almost identical to requirement 4 of Photography. If you choose the Newspaper option, the visit for 2a2 can easily be stretched to fulfill Graphic Arts requirement 6a.

Nature – Some of these are no-brainers! Requirement 4a is very similar to Bird Study, which requires a field study of 20 birds, and building a birdhouse, feeder, or birdbath. Requirement 4b is not quite as exact, but Mammal Study requires taking pictures of mammals in the wild. Find some tracks while you’re out there and it’s done. Requirement 4d is mounting 10 insects. Insect Study requires mounting 50 insects. This will be a good head start. Requirement 4h is almost the same requirement as for Geology. Requirement 4g is nearly identical to Forestry Req. 1.

Photography – Requirement 4b. Stack this with the photo exhibit requirement for Citizenship in the Community 8, Art 1 or American Labor 5b. If you do it during a troop activity, mail one of the pics to a friend to complete Computers 6g.

Public Speaking requires several speeches. Make the best use of your time, and keep it interesting by fulfilling the speech requirements from the following badges: Citizenship in the Community 8, Communications 3, or Oceanography 8c.

A firearm is a firearm. The general safety rules for Rifle Shooting and Shotgun Shooting are the same.

Soil and Water Conservation – Req 4 (watershed) is closely related to Environmental Science req 2, and to Forestry req 3b. Req 7a6 is the same as Public Health req 5a, a visit to a wastewater treatment plant. Req 7a2 is the same as Forestry req 5a, a trip to a managed forest. Req 5a, explaining the water cycle, is the same as Weather requirement 6.

Surveying – Requirement 6 is about GPS systems. When the new GIS/GPS badge comes out (2010), they’ll be a good match.

Click here for some practical applications.

Do you have another way that you stack? We’d be interested in hearing about it!

stacking badges

admin — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:50:58 +0000

Warning: Do NOT try to stack badges without the permission of your second merit badge counselor. While most will accept work done for other badges, not all will. Remember, it is THEIR decision that counts.

Also known as Double-Dipping, stacking is the process of using work done for one badge for the requirements of another. There are some badges that specifically prohibit this (Sports/Athletics, Dog Care/Pet Care, a few others). Most, however, remain silent on the subject, leaving it up to the discretion of the merit badge counselor. Don’t try to use them retroactively, since the badges assume that you’re learning, then doing. IOW, your photography photos require using the skills you’ve learned by working on that badge. Pictures from three years ago won’t (or shouldn’t!) cut it.

A lot of merit badges are similar in nature, and many have identical or near identical requirements. It seems a waste to do the same things over again when it could be spent working on something new. So, at the request of some Scouts who work diligently, but don’t want to repeat things, listed below are some ways to stack. This is not meant as a way to circumvent requirements. On the contrary, if you can use an activity more than once, it’s reasonable for a MBC to expect it to be done with even greater excellence. Knowing beforehand what will stack helps to use the most of your time. Check out both requirements before you go. For instance, both Journalism and Graphics Arts require a visit to a newspaper, but their focus is different. You want to make sure you’re completely fulfilling the requirements of each. More will be added as we have time to come up with them.

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Stacking Eagle-required Badges

While you definitely don’t want to skimp on any of the Citizenship requirements, there are ways to do more than one badge at the same time while still maintaining the integrity of each.

Citizenship in the Community Req 5 requires watching a movie. If you’re careful in choosing, the same movie could count for one of American Heritage’s req 5a. If you choose a community organization that works with the disabled in your community for Req 7, those 8 hours of volunteering can count for your Disabilities Awareness Req 5b. Scouts who are working on their Photography badges can use Req 4b (a photo display) as their photo display for Cit Comm Req 8.

Citizenship in the Nation Req 4 is essentially the same as American Heritage Req 1. Req 3 is close enough to Journalism 2b1 that a little extra effort will fulfill both.

Communications – The interview for Req 4 is vague enough that you could choose someone who will fit American Cultures 1c, or the upcoming Scouting Heritage badge. The meeting in Req 5 can also be used for Cit Comm Req 3. Req 7b is very similar to Computers Req 7d.

Depending upon the choices you make for Environmental Science, Soil & Water or Fish & Wildlife become almost subsets to ES.

First Aid – Earn this badge as soon as you can. Many counselors will simply accept that you’ve done the requirements for other badges because you’ve satisfied the First Aid requirements (and can prove it). Otherwise, you’ll get to demonstrate over and over again (which may not be a bad thing, after all). Badges that require First Aid components include: Athletics, Camping, Canoeing, Climbing, Cycling, Emergency Preparedness, Hiking, Orienteering, Pioneering, Skating, Small-Boat Sailing, Snow Sports, Sports, Swimming, Waterskiing, Whitewater, and Wilderness Surivival.

Lifesaving and Swimming both require CPR. Swimming only requires 100 yards, while Lifesaving needs 400. But they are the same strokes.

I’m sure there are others for the Eagle-requireds. How have you stacked these?

Click here for information on stacking elective badges.